By Christine Pangan
Featuring Jorge O. Gonzales and Jorge F. Gonzales of Gonzales & Gonzales Law Office
How does a father-son dynamic help or hinder a practice? The first in a series of articles bringing together different perspectives, “Open Dialogue” explores the challenges and benefits of partnering with family. San Diego Lawyer invited father and son attorneys Jorge O. Gonzales (Sr.) and Jorge F. Gonzales (Jr.) to talk to us about their experiences practicing law together. Jorge Gonzales, Sr. joked about being of “advanced age” having been in practice since 1979 while Jorge Gonzales, Jr. (admitted in 2010) told us of how he used to file and serve documents for his father prior to law school. Here is their discussion:
Deciding to practice together
Jorge Gonzales Sr. (Sr.): He’s the one who decided to join me. I never pushed him, suggested or otherwise. I just let him go out on his own boat and he ended up over here, and I was very glad, very proud to have him join me. And it’s working out great.
Jorge Gonzales Jr. (Jr.): It was an easy decision for me. I started getting involved filing paper work, serving documents for my father. I got exposure to [law practice] before law school. I got to explore other areas of the law with volunteering or clerking. And ultimately, I understood that working for my dad was a pretty awesome and fortunate opportunity, and would allow me to run my own practice eventually (hopefully).
Setting Aside Father/Son Roles at the Office
Sr.: I don’t find it difficult at all to set aside my role as father at the office. In fact, I don’t think that I act as a father. I treat my son as a law firm partner, which he has been, since January 2012. I welcome his influence in handling the cases and I respect his opinions. Of course it’s important for us to run an efficient and successful practice, and I think that we do, otherwise we wouldn’t be here.
Jr.: I’d say it works to my advantage if it ever does creep into the office — that father/son role — because I have someone that I fully trust in and he’s been looking out for my best interest since day one. Or [jokingly] if I need help paying a bill, I can just say, “Hey, Dad!”
Sr.: [laughs] Some things never change.
I can’t think of any challenges arising from the family foundation itself. We manage to keep family matters separate from the practice of law; likewise, at home we seldom discuss work issues.
Jr.: I agree — I can’t think of anything as challenging, other than bringing him to the present time in technology, which he’s done pretty well. He actually surprised me recently and purchased a cellphone. I had kind of given up on that a long time ago.
I kind of feel like it has provided a little bit of new energy to the business, in a sense. My father enjoys working with me, I enjoy working with him. And it helps to go to work, work long hours and put in extra effort when you have a team like that.
Sr.: It definitely has re-energized me.
Handling the Generational Gap
Sr.: I’ve been in practice since 1979 — there’s been a lot of technological changes in the practice of law since then. He’s been instrumental in dragging me, kicking and screaming, into the modern era. He guides me into modernizing our law practice.
Jr.: I’ll give you a prime example: He doesn’t really know how to use the scanner, or electronic signature and send [a PDF] back to me. So that’s my next project.
Sr.: But I’m a fast learner, even in my old age.
Jr.: [Another difference is] our work styles, and just the amount of time we put in. We have our own work schedules. I’m not in the office as often.
Sr.: I think it complements our work. He’s got the energy, which I don’t have any more, to run around and go from court to court, deal with traffic and all that. He does what he does, I do what I do. We work on the same cases, and it works.
Final Thoughts
Sr.: It works for us, I don’t know that it would work for others. We’ve been close ever since he was born. And I’m happy. I’m very happy.
Jr.: That’s a good point. We definitely have a very good father/son relationship — from the very beginning — and I think that’s crucial. I have complete trust that he’s looking out for me, and I think that goes the other way as well. So it’s a big advantage to have that, and that’s something that I’ve come to realize as I progress further into my legal career.
Christine Pangan is a staff attorney with the Legal Aid Society of San Diego.